Emmerdale star Susan Cookson admits she was ready to give up acting to become a nurse

Emmerdale star Susan Cookson has admitted she was ready to give up acting altogether to become a nurse after caring for her husband Malcolm Scates through his final months.

The tragedy of her husband’s death in 2016  had inspired Susan at the time to quit acting to become a nurse and help others.

However, as Susan, 58, was driving to meet a nursing manager for advice on how to retrain, she then received a phone call out of the blue offering her a role as nurse Wendy Posner in Emmerdale.

Susan told The Mirror: ‘I was at a bit of a crossroads in my life through one thing and another and I decided that I wanted a more regular job.

‘I started to think about changing careers and going into nursing. My husband, who is sadly no longer with us, had been very poorly and I’d nursed him.’

‘And I’d played a lot of doctors and nurses over the years, so it was a career I knew a bit about.’

‘I was in my car, about 10 minutes away from this meeting, when my phone went. It was Emmerdale producer Jane Hudson. I worked with her many moons ago on Casualty, but I’d not spoken to her for years.’

The actress lives in Sheffield and is mother to sons Ruari, 27, and Dan, 21.

Her husband Malcolm, who was a familiar face on Shameless, Holby City, Waterloo Road, The Bill and Doctors, tragically passed away in 2016 and the couple had shared a fairytale romance since their marriage in 1993.

Susan, who is best known for playing Maggie Coldwell in Casualty from 2005-2009, has now been playing the role of devoted mum Wendy in Emmerdale for four years.

Her character has recently found love with Bob Hope, however, fans of Emmerdale all know that Wendy is playing a dangerous game as she recently begun a torrid affair with Dr Liam Cavanagh, played by 41-year-old actor Johnny McPherson.

Her role as Wendy will be her fourth stint at Emmerdale.

Susan’s debut came in 1993 and since then she’s appeared as two different police officers, DC Fallon in 1997 and DI Judy Dove in 2002.

And after playing the role of nurse Wendy for the past four years, Susan has now signed a contract for another 12 months to continue playing the role.

Susan has also made two appearances in Coronation Street over the years as Callum Logan’s mum Marion who went to war with the Platts. 

In three episodes of Hollyoaks in 2017, she portrayed a lawyer involved in Amy Barnes’ murder trial.

Additionally, she has showcased her talent on Doctors, portraying five different characters over the years.